Lunar Disposition
by Jezebele Destiny White
Summary: "One such as thyself cannot understand my motivation," he said, smerking. Luna's heart beat accelerated, and she suddenly felt small and vulnerable. "I may not be able to understand it, but I do know that light is always stronger than darkness!" she snarled boldly. He threw back his head and gave a maniacle laugh. "Thou art destined for darkness, Princess Luna. Thou wilt see."
1. Introduction

**I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this up! I guess I was enjoying the lack of responsibility when I had no current ongoing stories. ;) But better late than never! So here is the introduction to what will become my new ongoing story, _Lunar Disposition_. As you can probably tell from the title, this story will be about Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon. It will illuminate and explain much of the backstory behind the princess of the night, so it's a bit like a biography. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Introduction

* * *

An alicorn queen stood on the edge of a balcony protruding from one of the many tall towers of the royal palace. Her lavender coat shone brightly in the weakening sunlight as she watched her husband lower the sun from the sky as another day in Equestria came to an end. Her mane billowed around her face in waves of various shades of ebony, gold, royal purple, electric blue, and indigo. The queen's cutie mark was a white crescent moon. Her turquoise eyes glinted in the dimming yellow rays. A simple blue tiara sat upon her brow, made from pure sapphire, with a diamond orb in the center to represent the moon.

In the sky, the king of Equestria was just disappearing beyond the horizon. His mane and tail glowed bright, and danced and flickered in the shape of flames. Nearest to the edges, his mane was a brilliant crimson, but as it grew closer to his neck, it faded from red to orange to yellow to green until there was a tiny lick in the center that was a strange silvery blue color. His eyes also glowed, the irises the color of liquid sunlight. His fur was less vibrant, a light white-blond color. His cutie mark was a blazing red and gold sun. He, also, wore a small crown, made of silver with ruby and topaz gemstones.

Queen Theia stared out into the city of Canterlot, running her hooves across the cool surface of the marble handrail with anxiety. She feared for her small, newborn nation. Though united under she and husband, wielders of the power of the elements, the three tribes that made up Equestria had yet to be truly integrated.

The queen recalled her audience all those months ago with Clover the Clever, the Supreme Mage on the magical council, and adviser to the unicorn leader herself, Princess Platinum. The purple unicorn stallion had insisted on an immediate, private meeting. Theia had been suspicious. Could it be possible that he knew about her secrect? But she had granted Clover's request, though she had her guards remain posted at the doors of her chamber in case the unicorn needed to be constrained.

Once inside the room, the candles on the chandelure overhead had abruptly died, and Clover's shamrock cutie mark had glowed in the darkness, and then his emerald green eyes had rolled back into his head so that only the whites were exposed. "_Beware of the heir whose heart is as cold as ice_," he had warned in a deep, gruff voice that did not belong to him. "_If thou fail to succeed to turn thy child from the path of evil, harmony shalt end and Equestria shalt fall._" Then Clover's eyes had rolled foward again and his cutie mark had dimmed, and he had look around in confusion, as if wondering how he had gotten there.

When Theia had demanded an explanation of the meaningless words, Clover had claimed to have no idea what she was talking about. When she had repeated the warning back to him, he said it sounded like a prophecy. Clover had promised to search through the scrolls of record, to see if he could find anything helpful, but he had found nothing that resembled his odd prediction. Nothing that he had told the queen, anyways.

The words of the so-called "prophecy" were etched in Theia's mind. She couldn't get them out of her head. "_Beware the heir..._" The heir? The heir to the throne of Equestria? If so, the heir would be the offspring of herself and King Aelius, and that would mean that she would be choosing between her foal or her kingdom.

Queen Theia and King Aelius already had two foals. Fraternal twins, Prince Vladimir and Princess Celestia would one day rule over Equestria, raising and lowering the sun and the moon every day. The free-spirited little colt and filly were relentlessly irritating palace staff and getting into trouble. They definitely had their fair share of mischief, but how could one of them have a heart as cold as ice? Unless...

Theia's eyes watered. She felt a kick as something jolted in her steadily swelling belly. She knew that she was with foal, and she knew that the foal growing inside of her had something to do with the prophecy. But she couldn't tell Aelius, or he would put two and two together and realize what this meant. And if he knew the truth, would he ever forgive her?

"Oh, Aelius," Queen Theia whispered, fully aware that her husband could not hear her. "I am so sorry, my love. Whatever shall I do?"

A cool summer evening breeze drifted past, and Theia shivered, remembering the storm of windigos that had plagues Equestria at the dawn of its nationhood. Was it possible that the "_heart as cold as ice_" referred to the hate-fueled beasts of the blizzard?

Theia caressed her belly affectionately. She didn't care that the foal was never supposed to exist. She loved it, just as she loved Vladimir and Celestia."I shalt never allow anything to happen to thee, not ever," she nickered softly, sighing into the twilight air.

* * *

Queen Theia screeched in pain, and with a last mighty heave, the foal was released from her body. The royal doctor levitated the wailing babe up with her unicorn magic, and used a cloth soaked in warm water to rinse the tiny alicorn's body of fluids from Theia's womb. Then she dried the foal with a towel, and swaddled it in a wool blanket.

"'Tis a filly, thy majesty," the unicorn doctor announced, placing Theia's newborn daughter gingerly down beside her. Theia wiped tears of joy from her eyes, and shifted her body so that the filly could suckle. The baby latched onto her tit, and immediately ceased crying. She nursed greedily at the milk.

"I thank thee, most noble doctor," King Aelius said, dipping his head in gratitude.

"Thou art most welcome, thy majesty!" the unicorn mare replied. She bowed briefly, and departed.

Theia gazed down her daughter. After a few minutes of suckling, the foal grew tired and closed her eyes, which were the same color as Theia's, drifted into a light slumber. Her barrel rose and fell as she breathed, emanated small, soft sounds of dreaming.

The little alicorn was slender and lithe, as most alicorns are, but this little filly seemed to be extremely skinny for one so young. She had a medium-toned periwinkle coat, with a single black patch covering her flank. Her mane and tail were the color of a pale, yet darkening, twilit sky, with the same purple-blue hue that her fur had, except it was fainter. Her hair was long for a newborn, and slightly wavy. It reminded Theia a fluffy, swirled, creamy blueberry pudding.

"She is most beautiful," Queen Theia cooed. "Most precious. Whatever shall we name her?"

King Aelius mused for a few seconds, scratching his chin with his hoof. "Hath thou an objection to... Luna?" he asked, stroking the new princess's blue mane.

"Luna," Theia repeated, the name rolling pleasantly and smoothly off of her tongue. "Luna! This name is most perfect for our daughter. Princess Luna!"

The peace was interrupted by crash outside the door. Baby Princess Luna was startled awake, and once again began to cry. The door flew open and in toppled a mass of pink and silver. Aelius had to jump out of the way to avoid getting bowled over. The shapeless flurry rammed into the far wall and landed in a giggling heap on floor.

"Vladimir, Celestia, what be the meaning of this?" King Aelius demanded, glaring sternly down at the two foals. After she caught her breath and suppressed the rest of her giggles, Celestia popped up, grinning.

"Pardon, Father! Vlad and I were racing to see the new princess," she apologized lightly, shaking her cotton-candy-pink mane. Her eyes fixed on the crying Princess Luna, and her face lit up. "The new princess!" she exclaimed, rushing over and sweeping up her younger sister.

Queen Theia gasped in alarm, standing up. But she was still exhausted and in pain from the birth, and collapsed back down on the bed. "Do be cautious, Celestia! Please try not to drop her!"

Luna stopped crying, and cuddled up to her elder sister, almost instantaneously falling back to sleep. Celestia rocked her back and forth gently, humming a lullaby.

Vladimir came up behind Celestia, peering endearingly over her shoulder at their new sister. "She is most adorable, Mother. What name did thou give her, pray tell?" the young silver prince asked, staring down at the foal with intense curiosity.

"Princess Luna Corazon de Hielo is the name of thy sister, my son and daughter," Theia told them, leaning against the headboard of her bed and pulling the quilted covers over herself. She was due for a long nap. Though she doubted that she would find sleep easily with so much weighing down her mind. Then she spoke too quiet for anypony else to hear, "I welcome thee to Equestria, Ice Heart Luna."

Queen Theia did not know what fate had in mind for Luna's future, but whatever it was, it was going to be extraordinary.

* * *

**Sorry this is so short, but it is an introduction, so it is just meant to be a sort of foreshadowing. I'm sorry if I'm using all the "thee"s, "thou"s, and "thy"s wrong, but I'm new to old English. So expect some more gramatical errors in the future! ;)**

**Queen Theia, King Aelius, and Prince Vladimir are my OC's, and will play an important roll in Luna's early life. I wanted to give you some background on my choice of names. Theia (pronounced THEE-ah) was a Greek goddess, I believe, who was the mother of the sun god Helios and the moon goddess Selene. I chose this for Luna and Celestia's mother for obvious reasons. Aelius (pronounced AY-lee-us) is a Roman name that is possibly derived from the name Helios, the Greek sun god, King Aelius raises the sun, so I thought it was fitting. Vladimir (pronounced VLAH-dih-mere) means prince in some language, I forget which one, but anyways, Prince Vladimir is a prince... so yeah.**

**Anways, so that's that! :D I will be uploading a one more chapter along with this, just to give you a better taste of what this is going to be like. After that, I'll update around once a week, like my other stories.**

**-Jez D. W.**


	2. Chapter One: Gala

Chapter One

_Gala_

* * *

Princess Luna stared into the mirror, greatly saddened. _I shall never be as beautiful as Celestia_, she thought grudgingly, flinging her hairbrush at the mirror. The brush collided with the mirror with a dainty _chink_ sound, and the mirror split jaggedly down the middle. Luckily, it did not break into any more smaller pieces, because then it would have been a lot more difficult to fix with Luna's magic.

Once the mirror was whole again, Luna sighed, slouching down on the cushioned chair. With her drab, plain bluish-purple complexion and pale blue, limp hair, she could never amount to enough to challenge the looks of her pretty sister.

Princess Celestia had white fur with a signature pinkish sheen, that complimented her fuchsia eyes. She had a shimmery, flowing flamingo pink mane and tail, that was beginning to be invaded with gorgeous streaks of sky blue and cool pastel green.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia's brother, Prince Vladimir, hadn't gotten the short end of the stick either. He was stupendously handsome, the object of the fancies of all of the mares in Equestria. His had a shiny silver coat and a curly black, white, and red mane and tail. His eyes were the same gold of their father's eyes.

The two princesses and the prince's mother and sire were also very well-looking. King Aelius was cloacked with the warm red, orange, and yellow radiance that resembled the firey might of the sun that he commanded, while Queen Theia was graced with the cold purple and blue hues of the moon under her power. Both were admired all throughout the kingdom.

While Luna was surrounded by all of these completely gorgeous family members, how had she ended up being so dull?! If only she knew, she would take that reason and stomp on it until it was a pancake. This thought comforted Luna.

Tonight was the night of the annual Grand Galloping Gala, a celebratory ball that was held in the palace in Canterlot every year. It was the first one that Princess Luna was allowed to attend, because now she was thirteen. Her father, King Aelius, had proclaimed it inappropriate for her to go to the party at an earlier age, as it usually lasted until midnight, and young Luna might not be able to handle the formal festivities.

Luna had endured lecture after lecture from her mother on the decorum that was expected a princess such as herself and exactly how to perform before the nobles of the court. It seemed impossible that she could forget any tiny detail about exactly how to pick up a soup spoon, and a word-by-word conversation to have with a lord or lady after those endless, boring lessons.

Princess Luna had been sitting here in her bed chambers trying to beautify herself for the last two hours with no such luck. If anything, she was more homely than when she had been when she started, because her hair was a frizzy mess, her nose and eyes were reddened with tears, and her face was covered in black smudges from a failed make-up attempt.

There was a loud rap on the door. "Thou may enter," Luna mumbled, rubbing her eyes. The door opened and Embroidery, one of Luna's many mares in waiting, flew in.

"The Gala begins in half an hour! Art thou not ready? Whatever be the matter, thy highness?" the pegasus filly asked, racing to the princess's aid and retrieving a damp rag to cleanse her face. Luna squirmed as the servant mare wiped away the smudged face paint.

"I am not pretty," Luna said softly, starting to cry again. The maid pony shook her head.

"Nay, that is nonsense, young mistress Luna!" Embroidery clucked disapprovingly, dipping the rag back into the pitch of heated water. "Thou art the most prettiest filly ever!" The hot rag felt pleasant on Luna's chapped, tear-stained face.

"I thank thee, Embroidery," Luna whinnied. "Will thou helpeth me prepare?"

Once finished cleaning off Luna's face, the orange and green pegasus gently brushed out her mane and tail until they were untangled and soft. She tied Luna's blue mane up into a bun, and used one braided strand to wrap around it, and then massaged oil into her hair to restrain any flyaway pieces, and give it a sleek, shiny effect. For her face, Embroidery painted her lips a sparkling pink hue, and dabbed pale pink powder onto her cheeks with a plumy feather brush. Then she used a kinky, fine brush to slick black ink into onto her eyelashes, making them fuller and darker, and lastly, she accented her eyes with silver and white paint.

Luna had had a dress tailored specifically for the Gala. The gown was gorgeous; fantastic and yet simple, graceful and yet modest, majestic and yet humble. It was strawberry red with silver trim, transparent balloon sleeves, a netted over-skirt, and a very long train.

Embroidery helped Luna daintily slip into the dress as to refrain from messing up her flawless face paint. It was smooth and comfortable against her skin. Then the servant mare fastened a ruby barrette in the shape of a crescent moon behind her ear.

Luna looked in the mirror. She actually kind of looked... beautiful. "Oh my..." she whispered, struggling to find words to voice her delight. "I- I look-"

"Thou art not pleased? I may deepen the accent behind thy eyes, if that would pleaseth thee, thy highness!" Embroidery cut in anxiously, adding another puff of powder to Luna's cheeks as a finishing touch. Luna shook her head, smiling.

"Nay, Embroidery, I am most pleased. Again, I thank thee," Luna said gratefully. Embroidery blushed, fetching Luna's obsidian tiara. Luna scowled. She resented her tiara; it was so plain, boring, and ugly. She hated the color black, but everypony always said it looked so well on her. And she had to wear her tiara, because it was a mark of her nobility.

The mare in waiting placed the crown atop Luna's head, delicately nestling the serrated bottom edge into her mane, so it would be less likely to fall off. Princess Luna cleared her throat and straightened her posture, sticking her nose in the air, pacing back and forth across the room, modeling her new look.

"Thou art most nice-looking, thy highness!" Embroidery crooned, clapping her front hooves together. Luna had to agree as she admired her reflection in the mirror again. The maid pony had done her job well.

The door was flung open. An Earth pony servant colt stood before the chamber, his face darkening with embarrassment as he realized that Luna had still been getting ready. The servant colt bowed.

"I- I beg thy pard- don, thy highness, Madam," he stammered, tugging at his bow-tie self-consciously. "But her majesty the queen requests thy presence most immediately!"

Luna whirled around to look at the grandfather clock. It was five minutes past eight o'clock. She was late.

"Dragon scat!" Luna cursed, causing Embroidery to startle at her use of words. Using telekinesis, she snatched up her royal scepter, and soared out the door, in two much of a rush to use her legs. She could only pray that her mother and father would be merciful.

She found Queen Theia, along with King Aelius, Prince Vladimir, and Princess Celestia, in the corridor just beyond the grand staircase, awaiting Luna so that they may descend together as a family for their presentation.

Queen Theia nearly growled with rage when she caught sight of Luna. "How dareth thou engage in such carelessness?! 'Tis already five moments past eight o'clock!" she snarled, bearing down on Princess Luna. Luna shrank down, wishing that she could just disappear into thin air.

"I- I apologize for my carelessness, Mother," Luna whispered, cringing. She could hardly ever look her mother in the eye, because she was so terrified to just find nothing but utter disappointment. Queen Theia didn't love her. She loved Vladimir and Celestia. What had Luna done to be unworthy of the queen's love?

Queen Theia snorted. "Of course," she muttered temperamentally. Luna continued to stare at the floor. The announcing servant pony poked his head through the curtains.

"Art thou ready?" he asked in a hushed voice. King Aelius nodded. The servant pony disappeared back behind the drapes. "Presenting your most gracious ruler his majesty King Aelius!" he called, his voice muffled to Luna's ears by the fabric dividing the hallway from the ballroom.

The curtains parted, and King Aelius pridefully glided down the steps, his blue waistcoat complimenting the golden hint in his pale fur. The large room erupted with cheers as he paused at the base of the staircase.

"Her ladyship Queen Theia!"

Luna's mother gracefully followed her husband. The ballroom was immediately filled with "oohs" and "ahs" as the famous beauty entered.

"Lastly, the royal heir and heiresses! Presenting Prince Mesyats Vladimir, Princess Celestial Skies, and Princess Luna Corazon de Hielo!"

Vlad and Celestia began the descent down into the great room. Fortunately, Luna was paying attention, and she was swift enough to be right behind them. Princess Luna prayed that her dress looked pretty as she carefully pattered down the marble stairs. She was rewarded for her cautiousness, for when she glanced out at the ranks of ponies staring at her, she was met with expressions of awe. Of course, most of the attention was fixed on Celestia's radiance, but Luna knew, if she had done something wrong, everypony would be gaping at her like she had committed a crime or something.

The musicians began playing dull, melancholy tunes that did nothing except worsen Luna's mood. For once could they play a lively folksong, or at least increase the tempo?

Luna, along with Vladimir and Celestia, sat down at the great long table near the end. King Aelius sat at the head of the table, and directly to his right were seated Queen Theia and Vladimir. On the left, were Celestia and Luna. Luna's mouth watered as she gazed over the incredible spread that lay before them. Everything in Equestria that was good to eat, and Luna wasn't even meant to eat much. She was supposed to daintily partake in a miniscule share of a maximum of five dishes. Luna guessed that overall, there were hundreds of variants of food amongst the feast.

"_We welcome you to this year's Grand Galloping Gala, Equestrians_!" King Aelius began, using his traditional Canterlot voice. It always made Luna's ears ring, but perhaps that was the designated effect. "_We thank you for your attendance to this very special occasion. As you know..._" The king drawled on with a seemingly endless speech, including mentioning that this was Luna's first Gala, at which point that everypony turned to Luna's direction. Before it ended, Luna thought that she may faint from lack of food. At last, her father closed with, "_We shalt not uphold you all no longer! We invite you to dig in! Let the feast begin_!"

Luna piled food onto her plate, probably more than she should have, judging from the dirty looks her mother kept shooting at her, including a blueberry scone, a heap of creamed corn, a sour-dough biscuit topped with butter and peach preserves, a scoop of mustard greens, fried sweet grass, and a mug of ginger ale. And she enjoyed every bite and sip. After the meal, she wanted to curl up and sleep off her bloated belly, but the night was far from over.

After the enormous supper, the plates were cleared away, and the lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, barons, and baronesses all sat around and conversed of what Luna thought were the most boring topics to talk of. Who wants to hear one statement concerning the architecture of so-and-so's manner compared to the architecture of so-and-so's castle, let alone an entire conversation?

But she endured it all, surprisingly. Even when a rusty old retired guard started babbling, "Does Princess Luna have any interest in charting and illustrating the flaw's in an earth pony's anatomical system prohibiting the use of magic?" He had raised an eyebrow at the princess and took another swig of whiskey. Luna smiled at him.

"Nay, sir," she had quaintly replied. Then the old stallion had started off about "young ponies these days hath no brain" or something of the sort.

She wanted to squeal with relief when Queen Theia leaned over the table, and whispered, "Luna, thou go to dance with somepony. That will make it appeareth as though thou are enthusiastic to engage with thy subjects." Luna nodded eagerly, overjoyed for an excuse to get away from the amazingly boring nobles, and fled from the table.

Vladimir and Celestia were already dancing, Vlad with a pretty Earth pony filly, and Celestia with a snooty-looking unicorn colt. They swayed back and forth to the soft, slow melodies emanating from the music ponies' instruments.

Luna searched around the room, searching for a suitable colt to dance with. There was that homely Earth pony colt trying to catch her eye, Luna thought she remembered that he was the son of some very wealthy duchess. Luna did _not _want to be seen anywhere near him. There was a also a very handsome teenage pegasus colt that must've been about four years older than Luna, very easy on the eyes. But he was deep in a hungry flirtation with one of the servant fillies. Luna watched the pegasus colt's hoof slide backwards and eventually touch her flank. He was not Luna's type.

Luna abruptly noticed another colt, a unicorn, standing by the wall, dressed in a simple-yet-expensive-looking black vest, with dark red-orange fur and a combed yellow mane. He was staring at her, but when she met his eyes, he bashfully looked away. Luna smiled. _He _was her type.

Princess Luna sauntered over to him, making sure walk smooth and deliberately to enforce a sense of superiority, the way Queen Theia had taught her. She saw the colt looking at her from the corner of his eye, slowly turning redder as she neared. Eventally she reached him, and he looked up at her, kneeling slightly.

"Hello," Luna cooed, leaning against the wall casually. Up close, she noticed that the young stallion had vibrant green eyes.

The unicorn cleared his throat, and stood up straighter. "Yes, my lady?" he inquired politely.

_What a gentlecolt! _Luna thought. She flicked her pale blue mane across her shoulder, saying, "Would thee liketh to dance with me?" The orange colt's eyes widened.

"Nay, thou dost not understand! I'm not-" he protested, but Luna didn't let him finish.

"Come on, it shall be fun!" she promised, winking and offering her hoof. The colt swallowed and bit his lip.

"Art thou serious?!" he asked again, looking alarmed. Luna rolled her eyes playfully, and grabbed hold of his hoof before he had the chance to object again, and dragged him to the center of the ballroom where the dancing was taking place.

This next song was a well-known, familiar Canterlot dance, so luckily it seemed that Luna's dance partner knew it well. He was an even better dancer than Luna, which wasn't really saying much, because she was awful at it.

It started with a bow, and then the female dancer would take four steps backward, and two steps forward. The male dancer would take two steps backward, and then four steps forward. This was repeated three times, and then the two partners would lock front legs and whirl around until the two were back in the same place as they started. The choreography was similar from then on, very simple and easy, but still moderately fun.

By the time the dance was finished, Luna was nearly breathless, and feeling incredulously light-hearted. Her dance partner looked to be enjoying himself as well, taking on a dreamy expression.

As the music faded, the unicorn colt bowed deeply, and broke away from her. "Thy highness, I thank thee most gratefully for dancing with one so lowly as me. I had never envisioned that one day meet thee, let alone dance with the princess of Equestria!" he whinnied. With that, the colt boldly kissed her hoof, and trotted away, still looking quite dazed.

Luna smiled to herself, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The colt's words moderately confused her. How could be be "lowly" if he was attending the Gala? Perhaps he was simply being modest.

Luna turned to see her siblings. Celestia was staring at her in bewilderment, her jaw hanging open to match her wide eyes. Vladimir was eying with curious interest, and his expression said that he was intent on questioning her for her behavior.

Luna looked confusedly back at them. _Whatever could be the problem? _she wondered. _Perhaps they art simply envious of how well I performed. I expect Mother and Father will be pleased._ But as her gaze met theirs, she only saw shock and disgust that mirrored that of Celestia and Vladimir.

Queen Theia stomped angrily up to her, her hoofsteps echoing on the marble tile. It wasn't until now that Luna realized that the room had gone quiet, and all eyes were on her. What was going on?

The queen glared down at her, her turquoise eyes flaming, and used her magic to levitate Luna up off the ground. Suspended and frozen, Luna couldn't even utter a peep of protest. And like a little foal, she was drifted out of the ballroom.

Theia slammed the door the behind them, still stomping, and dropped Luna to the ground. She landed with a painful _clatter_, rubbing her flank to soothe the bruising.

"By the moon, whatever did I do?!" she whinnied angrily, standing up to be nose-to-nose with her mother.

"Thou art perfectly aware of what thou hath done!" she spat, spraying Luna's face with warm droplets of saliva. Luna used her hoof to wipe the spittle away. Spitting while speaking was not like her mother. She must've been extremely mad.

Theia stepped away from her, and began to pace back and forth in the hallway. "Do not try to convince me that thou art innocent! Your father and I art furious! Dost thou not understandeth what making a fool of us in this way will mean? We shalt be the laughing stock of Equestria!"

"I most certainly do not have any idea of what thou art speaking of! Whatever have I done?" she demanded, beginning to wonder if something had been slipped into her mother's goblet during the feast.

The alicorn mare continued to pace. "Thou could hath choseth to dance with the Earl of Manehattan, or Duke Winterberry's youngest son, or anypony, but thou choseth to dance with a servent pony!"

Luna nearly choked. "I did no such thing!" she growled. "I danced with-" Luna paused, and realized that it made sense. The pegasus colt she was dancing with was wearing the black vest that was customery for all of the catering staff to wear. He was very confused when she had asked him to dance, and made an effort to extend his gratitude. And now that she had dance with him, everyone was angry at her. How had she not noticed all of that?

"Dragon scat," she muttered, luckily not loud enough her mother to hear, or else she may have been skinned alive. "But, Mother, I did not know-"

"Whatever dost thee mean?" Queen Theia snapped, cutting her off. "_How _could thou not know? Why can not thou ever do anything correctly. Whatever is wrong with thee?"

"But- but-" Luna stammered, at a loss for words. _How _could she not know? _Why _couldn't she ever do anything correctly? _What _was wrong with her? All these questions bounced around in her head until she didn't even know what was what. "It's not my fault..." she trailed off, unable to come up with an explanation.

Queen Theia stopped pacing, glowering fiercely at her. "How is it not thy fault?! Explain this to me, you stupid filly!" she snarled, the volume of her voice increasing.

Luna stepped away, stung, as if she had been slapped. She looked around wildly, searching for something to blame. "It is- It is Celestia's fault!"

Theia rolled her eyes, groaning loudly. "Whatever does any other this matter have to do with Celestia? Don't deny this any longer, Luna-"

"Why dost thee hate me so?" Luna blurted. The words had tumbled out of her mouth unbidden. Her mother stepped backwards, as if _she _were the one being hurt.

"What...? I- I do not hate thee!" she exclaimed defensively. "I love thee, Luna! Thou art my daughter!"

"Nay, Mother, thou dost not love me," Luna continued. Now that it had started, there was no way to make it stop. "Thou dost hateth me! Whatever hath I done to deserve thy hatred? Always, thou does not express thy pride or affection for me! I am ridiculed by thee, and punished, and scorned! Why, pray tell? Thou loveth Vladimir and Celestia, but thou dost not love me."

"Nay, Luna," Queen Theia denied in a soft voice, not meeting Luna's eyes. "I love thee. I am sorry that I hath made you feel this way, but I do not understand-"

"No, Mother! Thou dost not love me! Thou art not sorry! Thou dost not understand anything!" Luna's voice had risen to a shout now, and her eyes were watering.

"Luna-!"

"No! Go away from me!" Luna screamed, and broke into a sprint, racing down the corridor, blinded by tears. Her mother did not follow.

* * *

**I'm sorry for this terrible dailogue! I'll get better at it, I promise. Anways, you can expect the next chapter sometime this next week, and it should be updated accordingly to my schedule. I hope you liked the intro and the first chapter, and I hope you'll look out for the next one!**

**-Jez D. W.**


	3. Chapter Two: Harmony

**I planned to update last weekend, but A) I am now addicted to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic app, and B) DisneyFanatic2364 made her fanfictions so amazingly good that it distracted me from focusing on my own story! It's not my fault! ****Okay, it is. Sorry. Her stories are much better than mine, if you like My Little Pony, go and read 'em!**

**Oh, and shoutout to Mimi Myself and Iz for the cool review, Mimi Myself and Iz and Moonpebble of Lightningclan for following, and Mimi Myself and Iz, Moonpebble of Lightningclan, and PurebredWaffles for favoriting! I love you guys!**

* * *

Chapter Two

_Harmony_

* * *

_She was soaring through the night. The darkness danced around her as she flew, as if waiting for a command. The stars gazed upon her with respect,their sparkling eyes beaming at her. The moon's dark face began to turn, and grew brighter as she neared._

_The midnight wind sang in her ears, "Princess of the night...What be your command...?"_

_The periwinkle alicorn's hooves prickled as she shaped the air around her, creating one great claw made of shadows and breezes. Using her own magic, she willed the invisible talon to curl around the pale sphere that was hanging limply in the sky, and drag it upward until it crowned the sky. The land below was bathed in a silver glow, illuminating the sleeping faces of the ponies of the earth._

_She rose up, the now risen moon to her back, and surveyed her night taking effect. Her dark silhouette was outlined against the sky. "My stars, my moon, my night..." she whispered into the cool air._

Luna felt something sharp prodding at her cheek. She hazily opened her eyes, yawning, and flexed uncomfortably in the hard wooden chair. Realizing where she was, she shot up, and the same sharp thing accidentally jabbed her in the eye.

"Ow!" she yelped, covering her eye with her hoof. Pain throbbed through her face. She turned angrily to her sister. Celestia lowered the quill she had been poking Luna with.

"I am sorry," the elder princess apologized halfheartedly, smirking. "Thou hath fallen asleep." Luna glared at Celestia with her good eye, blinking a few times until the hurt eye felt better.

"Thou did not hath to poketh me in the eye!" she growled, kicking her sister hard beneath the desk with her lower leg. Celestia let out of soft shriek, and winced, rubbing her now bruised leg.

"Do not strike me!" she exclaimed, kicking Luna back, harder. Luna stabbed the crook of her front leg into her sister's ribs, and Celestia countered by conking her on the head with a textbook, to which Luna responded by grabbing a wad of Celestia's mane in her hoof and tugging as hard as she could. Celestia howled with pain, and had just raised a chair to drop on the younger princess when they both heard a prompt, "_Ahem!_"

Madam Zibora cleared her throat, staring sternly down upon them as she tapped her hoof against the tile floor irritably. The dark stripes of her fur flickered across her pelt with the slightest motion.

Luna let go of Celestia's hair and Celestia set the chair back down on the floor, and they both sat up straight in their desks, staring down at the pale wood shamefully. "You are upsetting the balance of harmony," Madam Zibora crooned, her deep African accent rolling off her tongue smoothly.

Luna's eyes darted around the room, unable to meet the silver gaze of her history tutor. "I am sorry, Madam Zibora," she mumbled.

"I, too, am sorry, Madam Zibora!" Celestia chimed, making sure not be be forgotten. Madam Zibora grinned at her. Luna's brow furrowed. Was there anything about Celestia that everyone _didn't_ worship?

"Do not apologize to me!" Madam Zibora whinnied. "Apologize to each other." Vladimir, whom was sitting on the opposite side of Celestia from Luna, giggled.

Luna glanced sideways at Celestia. Celestia chewed her lip, looking at Luna from the corner of her eye. If anyone should apologize, it should have been Celestia. _She is the one who started it! _Luna thought. _So she should say sorry first!_

Celestia remained silent, as did Luna, and Madam Zibora kept on looking expectantly down on them. After several painful moments, the zebra mare sighed and shook her head.

"It appears you need a reminder of exactly how important harmony is," she said. She closed her eyes, musing, as if memories were flooding into her mind. "Once upon a time, many years ago, in a land far from where we now call home, there lived three tribes; Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns."

Luna groaned loudly. "Please, Madam Zibora, we hath heard this tale many, many times. Must we hear it again?" she pleaded, dreading another lecture on the significance of friendship and peace. Madam Zibora glowered at her.

"If thou truly understandeth the message of the story, then why is it that thou insisteth upon bickering with thy sister?" she asked coldly. Luna ducked her head, unable to respond with a valid excuse. "As I thought," Madam Zibora chided. "Now, may I continue our story without any further interruptions?"

"Yes, please, Madam Zibora!" Vladimir asked enthusiastically. Luna rolled her eyes. Vlad was always mesmerized by the tale of Equestria's founding, no matter how many times he heard it.

The zebra chuckled softly. "Indeed I shall, young prince. Now, let us begin once more.

"Once upon a time, there lived three tribes in the Old Land; Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Each tribe interacted with each other through a system of pacts. The Earth ponies grew food to eat, and in return for bringing fair weather, they bestowed a share of their crop to the pegasi. The Earth ponies also gave the unicorns a part of the food, and in turn the unicorns rose the sun and the moon with each dawn and eve. But even with the treaties that bound the three tribes, each tribe despised the other two, which upset the natural balance of harmony and friendship, just like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna did with their arguing." Madam Zibora tried to catch Luna's eye, but she was staring out the window.

Luna's gaze delved into the cloudless blue of the daylight sky, reliving her strange dream. She had felt so peaceful, so at ease cloaked in the power of the night. _My night, _she thought. _I do like the sound of that._

But it wasn't her night; the night belonged to her brother. Since she was just a little filly, she had always known that Celestia would inherit the power of the sun, Vladimir the moon, and all Luna would get would be a royal title. What else? Queen Theia had mentioned possibly appointing her to stewardess of the Equestrian Financial Department, because she excelled in mathamatics. _That _certainly sounded interesting. Luna began bitterly drawing crude doodles of the moon on the cover of her history scriptures.

Once Madam Zibora concluded that Princess Luna was not listening to her, she went on. "The hatred between the tribes is what fueled the great storm of windigos, the evil blizzard spirits. The land of the three tribes was plagued with an eternal snowstorm. Everypony was hungry, exhausted, and cold, and each of the tribes blamed each other. This created more tension, which only thickened the storm of windigos. Eventually, the cold and-"

Madam Zibora was cut off by Vladimir's input. "But what _art _windigos?" the silver prince asked, his eyes sparkling with interest. "Art they like ponies? Or are they mindless beasts? Do they still exist today?!"

Madam Zibora frowned. "Nopony knows for sure, young master Vladimir. They have yet to be specifically identified, and have not been sighted for many years. Now, eventually, the cold and ice became too much to bare. Ponies of every species were dying from starvation and illness. Each of the groups new that if they remained in their homeland, they would surely parish. So the three tribes set out on a journey to find a new land.

"The Earth ponies were led by Chancellor Puddinghead and his secretary Smart Cookie; the pegasi were led by Commander Hurricane and his subordinate Private Pansy; the unicorns were led by Princess Platinum and her adviser Clover the Clever. Each tribe bravely followed their leader, and determinedly endured the long, treacherous journey. But in the end, all the ponies reached their destination.

"They arrived here, in this land that we now know as Equestria! Each tribe was struck with awe by the beautiful land and its many resources. But soon, the tribes realized that they were not alone, and that they had all found the very same place. War broke out-"

"War?!" Vladimir asked excitedly. "How much bloodshed was there?"

"Prince _Mesyats_ Vladimir," Madam Zibora scolded. "I shall have thou knoweth that war is no such thing to be excited about. It is a terrible thing that robs children of their fathers, wives of their husbands, mothers of their children. Now, wilt thou please stop interrupting me?

"Now where was I? Oh yes, war broke out over the territory. This new hate brought the windigos, encasing Equestria as went in relentless storm. There was nothing the ponies could do except find a way to stay warm. In order to do that, they had to unite and quit fighting amongst themselves. All through the cold night, the three tribes cherished each other company and kept the fire of friendship alive. Upon the third morn, the windigos had fled.

"At this turn of events, the leaders of the Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns decided that it was best to stop the warring and become comrades. They founded Equestria, the nation bound by _harmony_. But-"

"But what of the Elements of Harmony?" Vlad cut in, paging through his history textbook. "Dost anypony know where they now reside? Did they gain physical shape? Art they not simply a name for an article of philosophy?"

Luna combed her hoof through her mane as she tried to remember where she had heard to term "Elements of Harmony" before. She could not recall when or where.

Madam Zibora slammed her hoof down on Vladimir's desk. "For the last time, princeling, I insist that thee halt with this rudeness! I am attempting to tell you this story. Does thou wanteth answers to thy questions or not?"

Prince Vladimir pursed his lips and nodded vigorously. "I am sorry, Madam Zibora. I will postpone thy tale-telling no longer."

Princess Luna smiled to herself. At least _Vladimir _wasn't so prissy and perfect. _He _had some modesty. But that did not mean that she wasn't envious of him as well. He laid claim to the precious moon. Why did _he _get it? Just because he was older didn't mean that he was special or anything. Luna wasn't inferior.

Madam Zibora sighed in exasperation. "Good, master Vladimir. So the Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns founded Equestria, but now they needed a monarch. Of course, each of the three divisions wanted one of their own to be king. Chancellor Puddinghead, Commander Hurricane, and Princess Platinum each knew that if another fight came up, then the windigos would return. So they prayed that the good spirits would anoint a king or queen to rule that nopony could resist.

"The spirits answered their prayers. They created alicorns, magnificent beasts that had a piece of each of the three species in them. They had strong muscles and heavy bones like the Earth ponies, feathered wings for flight like the pegasi, and horns for magic like the unicorns. They were gifted by the gods with immortality, immense magical powers, the strength of an Ursa Major, and the speed of a cockatrice."

Luna did not know what a cockatrice was, but she was pretty confident that they were unusually fast. She yawned and rested her chin on the desk. She wished that one day, _she _could be a queen. _"Thou can be a stewardess... or perhaps of duchess! It is an honored title that had almost the same significance as queen!" _her mother had said cheerfully.

"If only that were true," she muttered.

Vladimir was about to call out, but he stopped himself. Instead, he bowed his head and asked, "May I please have permission to speak, Madam Zibora?"

"Yes, princeling," Madam Zibora crowed tonelessly.

"If alicorns art gifted as gods art gifted," he began, shaping his words carefully. "_Art _we gods?"

Madam Zibora looked at the young prince with a strange expression on her face. "I suppose one could suggest that an alicorn is a god," she said thoughtfully, staring into space and pacing across the room. "But they are a race created _by _the good spirits, so I do not believe so. Gods are not a species, but spirits."

Vlad looked down at his hooves without saying anything.

"Anyways," Madam Zibora nickered awkwardly. "The two alicorns, thy parents, King Aelius and Queen Theia, were crowned rulers of Equestria. In today's reality, Chancellor Shortbread (son of Puddinghead), Commander Hurricane, and Queen Platinum make decisions for their own species, and the king and queen make decisions concerning the entirety of the nation. The kingdom has prospered stupendously since." The elderly striped mare grabbed a huge, dusty book in her teeth and set it upon her desk, tenderly flipping the worn parchment pages.

"Thou wanteth to know more of the Elements of Harmony? There is not much to tell. The Elements were an invention of a very talented unicorn sorcerer called Star Swirl the Bearded. He wanted to create a source of pure magic that could restore harmony to something wrought with chaos. So he did. He created the power, and it took almost all of his energy. He grew ill from such a drain and died about a year later. That was just before the storm of windigos came to the Old Land. The Elements disappeared after he passed away, and few ponies even remember they existed," Madam Zibora explained, as she skimmed through the faded passages in the old book.

Luna was now interested. "But what art the Elements? Art thy alive? What do they look like? How is their magic used?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Dost thee believe that the Elements were destroyed when Star Swirl the Bearded died?" Celestia inquired, opening her book to the see if it had anything to say on the matter.

Madam Zibora shook her head, turning away from them. "Nopony knows a thing of them other than what I already told thee. The Elements of Harmony art a mystery that will most likely never be solved."

Prince Vladimir hung his head, crestfallen. "Has not anypony searched for the Elements?" he asked.

"Of course ponies have searched. But the Elements could be anywhere in Equestria, or in the world. Why dost thee take such a vivid interest in them?" Madam Zibora raised her eyebrow at the moon prince.

"Only because if ever the Elements were recovered, they could solve many of the kingdom's problems," he responded simply, batting his eyes. Madam Zibora bit her lip, and then nodded.

"Now that _that _detour is concluded, let us continue with our lesson. And remember that you have an essay to write on the structure of Equestria's government tonight," Madam Zibora reminded them. The three heirs moaned loudly in apprehension. The history tutor chuckled. "Now, turn to page CCXXIII in your scriptures."

* * *

Luna stood on the balcony of her chamber. She watched her father gradually lower the sun down into the sea beyond. A chill ran up her spine as she got a sudden sensation of _deja vu_, like she had been on a balcony before watching the king lower the sun at this exact time at one time before, perhaps not conscious.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and took flight into the twilight.

She flew fast to try and catch up with Queen Theia, who was going away to rise the moon to begin the night. "Mother!" she called, her breath faltering as she flew faster and faster to try and catch up with the queen.

Queen Theia turned at the sound of her shrill cry, and dove toward her. "Whatever is the matter?!" she said, alarmed. Luna hovered for a second to catch her breath.

"Oh, sorry, I just... wanted to accompany thee..." she trailed off, risking a sideways look at her mother. Theia cocked her head in confusion.

"I suppose that is... fine. Come along!" she whinnied briskly, sweeping away from Luna. Luckily, this time she slowed her pace, so Luna was fast enough to keep up.

As they flew over small villages, large townships, patchwork landscapes of fields of crops, snowy mountains, and deep dark forests, Luna asked, "Mother? Dost thee happen to know a thing of the Elements of Harmony?"

Theia looked at her. "Nay, Luna. I know not a thing of them. The Elements are lost, now and forever," she replied, her tone firm. Luna was confused by the queen's strange nature, but was silent the rest of the way.

It was a fifteen minute flight. By the time the mother and daughter reached the ocean, Luna was exhausted. Alicorns are generally not very talented flyers, as they do not have the lightweight frames and hollowed bones as ordinary pegasi did.

Queen Theia was unfazed by the journey of course. "Now stand back," the lavender alicorn commanded. Luna did as she was told. "I may accidentally shoot out a stem of power during the process, and I don't want you to be hit."

Luna watched as her mother dipped in her flight, pausing about a yard from the glassy surface of the water. The young princess couldn't deny that her mother looked stunning in the dim light as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate, her lips slightly parted with words spoken inside her head.

Queen Theia's horn began to glow with her pale bluish-green magical aura that matched her aquamarine eyes. Luna's eyes widened as she began to see ghostly white light shimmer at the base of the horizon. The moonbeams stretched for miles and the gigantic globe began to slowly rise up from behind the water. Its crater-filled face looked down on them. Tonight, the moon was in the process of waxing, and was almost full except for a slender crescent-shaped slit of shadow. As always, it was gorgeous.

"Wow..." Luna whispered, remembering her dream as _she _lifted the moon from its sleeping place. _My moon, my stars, my night... _she thought, gazing dreamily at the evening sky. "May I try?!" she blurted.

Queen Theia looked at her, her slender eyebrows drawn together in curiosity. "_Thou _wanteth to try rising the moon?" she demanded, her forehead creasing. Luna gulped. Why had she said that?!

"Um... well... yes?" she stammered, looking at the water below. Even since the Gala fiasco, the queen had been excessively kind to her. Perhaps it would work in her favor today.

Queen Theia stared at the dark peaks of the mountain range north of Canterlot. "Well..." she said, musing. "I suppose thou shall, if thou dost wish to try. But, may I ask, why?" Her searching eyes landed on Luna's face.

How could Luna tell Theia that she wanted to rule the moon one day? It was silly. Vladimir was going to inherit power over the moon, and his offspring after him. Besides, her mother didn't ever really have a way of understanding her desires anyway, rational or irrational.

"I-I just wan-wanted to... test out my magical ability!" Princess Luna lied, the words spilling out of her mouth rapidly and clumsily. "Yeah, that is it! I wanted to see exactly to which I could push my skills." She grinned innocently at her mother.

The queen seemed satisfied with this excuse. "Well then, 'tis a swell idea for thou to access thyself. But I am warning thee, the task at hoof very difficult, and it will drain thy power almost instantaneously. I will aid thee, but it may make thee ill for a few days."

Luna couldn't believe her ears. She nearly fell out of the sky. "Oh, I thank thee, Mother, ever so much! I promise I shall make thee proud! I-!" Luna cleared her throat, realizing that she was acting like a foal. "Uhhh... I thank thee," she corrected herself, casually flicking a strand of her mane out of her face.

Queen Theia gestured to the nearby precipice of a cliff. "We shall stand there. It is easier to channel energy when thou dost not have to worry about flight," she said practically. Luna sighed in relief as she followed her mother to the cliff's edge, and lighted down on the wet stone. The waves crashed below them, creating spooky, thunderous music.

Queen Theia laid a wing across Luna's back, and she shivered. She couldn't remember the last time her mother and given her a loving embrace. "Now, our physical connection will allow me to stream power through thee," Theia said.

_Oh. Well then, it is not a hug, _Luna thought, shuffling her hooves uncomfortably. _It is just a "physical connection"._

"Now, when thou art ready, say '_ascendit_', and focus on putting all of thy energy into rising the moon," the queen instructed. Luna closed her eyes tight, tensing her entire body.

"_Ascendit!" _she uttered, imagining the invisible claw grabbing the moon and pulling it up.

At first, nothing seemed to change, and then she felt the power abruptly being drawn out of her. The moon was incredibly heavy, and it felt as though the wait sitting on her shoulders instead of resting on her magic. Within a few seconds, it was all gone, and she felt as though she were going to faint.

"Thou art going too fast, Luna!" her mother whispered in a harsh tone. "Slow down, and rely on my power!"

Luna imagined the moon rising again, this time slowly. Though she still felt sickly and weak, she also felt something else, like a portal that was waiting to be opened. She willed the magical energies from her mother to seep into her own body, and felt that power radiating through her horn instead of her own.

Luna opened one eye to see that the moon was in fact rising, slower that it would have if Queen Theia were doing it by herself, but steadily going up. She opened the other eye. It was beautiful, gliding upwards, like a huge snowflake falling in a world with reversed gravity. Luna couldn't believe that she was directing it. How could one such as herself conduct such a spectacular-?

She was careening down the cliff face, the water rising up to swallow her. Luna tried to scream, and tried to flap her wings, but she hardly had the strength to continue inhaling and exhaling. "He...Help..." she gasped as she plummeted toward the freezing, ebony water. Her vision began to go black. She was so, so tired...

The cold of the water shocked her back into consciousness. She sank down lower and lower, the light from above growing dimmer. She had to swim, to breath, to live, but she was too tired. _Help me, Mother! Help me! _she thought.

A purple shape was moving towards her. It's eyes were huge with fear. It gripped her with strong legs, and pulled up with all its might. The next thing Luna knew, she was lying on the ground again on the cliff. The moon was high in the sky. Had only a few seconds passed?

Her mother stood over her, her eyes shining. She looked wet and frightened, but not tired.

"My dear Luna, I am ever so sorry! It was an idiotic idea to alloweth thee to attempt a feat so large! Please, my daughter, forgive me!" the alicorn pleaded, her voice shaking. Princess Luna opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

Queen Theia used her telekinesis to hoist Luna up and drape her over her back. It was an uncomfortable position, and Luna's limbs screamed in protest, but she was in no position to complain.

"Don't worry, Luna, my dear, I shall bring thee safely home. Thank goodness thou must never raise the moon again!" Queen Theia said, mostly to herself, as she took flight.

Luna's eyes closed. Her heart would have sank if it hadn't already been as deep as it could go.

* * *

**This chapter didn't go exactly as I planned, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I promise I'll be on time for the update this week! Oh, and yeah, I made up the part about Star Swirl the Bearded inventing the Elements. They'll come in later. ;)**

**Please review!**

**-Jez D. W.**


	4. Chapter Three: Farewell

**Ummm... Yeah, it's bean a while. When no one reviewed chapter two, I was really crushed. I felt like this story was already dead, though it had hardly even begun. So I started a different story (_Fillyfooling_) that I hoped would get more attention (it did :/), but then I felt guilty so I decided update this again. I changed the summary, because the old one was positively terrible.**

**Thank you so much, Mimi Myself and Iz, it was when I saw your review that I wanted to keep writing this! You're awesome! ;D**

* * *

Chapter Three

_Farewell_

* * *

Luna woke with a start. "Help!" she screeched. But she wasn't falling down the cliff now. She was in her soft bed, very much warm and dry. She felt like she hadn't eaten or drank a thing for days, though.

"Thou art awakened!" Celestia cried in her shrill voice. Luna winced. Her head ached.

"Whatever hath happened?" she asked, massaging her temples. "Why dost I feel ever so ill?" Luna threw off the sheets and attempted to rise from the bed, but her wings felt as though they were made from stone.

"Thou felleth," a voice said. Luna jumped as she realized that Vladimir was sitting right next to her. "Felleth down into the sea thou did."

Memories came flooding back. Her mother, flying towards the sea, rising the moon, and then falling, hundreds of feet down into the icy dark waves. A chill ran up Luna's spine. She could still see the moon as it sluggishly ascended higher and higher at her command.

Luna twisted her head around and inspected her wings. The left one ached, but it moved as smoothly as was ordinary. Her right wing, though, stuck out at a weird angle and was covered in scratchy bandages. She tried flexing it, but the wing refused to move. She tenderly stroked the feathers, and pain seared with the slightest touch. It was badly broken.

"I see," she murmured, wrapping her hurting front legs around a pillow and hugging it to herself. The feathers stuck through seams in the fabric and gently stabbed into her skin. Even the softest of things had prickles at one end. For some reason, she could not help feeling unnerved.

The three siblings sat on the large bed in silence for a few moments, before the familiar _clackity-clack _of hoof-beats on the marble floor sounded in the hallway.

"Thou sayeth that she be awake?" Queen Theia demanded from one of the guards standing at the door. Luna heard muffled words as the royal guard responded. "That is good. I shalt see her most immediately."

Luna wanted to hide under the covers and pretend that she was asleep. But what would Vlad and Celestia have to say to that? Not that it was a secret that the queen and the youngest princess did not have a particularly healthy mother-daughter relationship.

So instead, she sat up tall against the headboard and delicately placed her hooves in her lap, a picture of sophistication, and made herself to look as able as possible. As her mother entered the room, she ignored her fear, batted her eyes, and lifted her chin. "Greetings, Mother," she said, meeting her mother's eyes boldly.

Queen Theia offered a tight smile. "And to thee, Daughter," she replied coolly. "Art thou feeling swell?"

"Swell," Luna repeated tonelessly. "Indeed." Queen Theia's face contorted with puzzlement.

"Dearest, is something the matter?" she asked using a hoof to lift Luna's chin. Luna had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop from bursting out in tears. She didn't even know why she felt like crying.

Luna swallowed the blood that was welling in her mouth. "No, I am simply out of sorts today."

The queen's mouth formed a flat, expressionless line. "Of course. After thy incident of yesterday, I should suspect that thee should feel quite injured. Do not thou agree?"

"I do agree. Does it not serve me rightly for believing I could conquer such a feat?" Luna couldn't help asking. Queen Theia did not respond.

Luna remembered the selfless mother sick with worry whom had lifted her from the depths of the sea and carried her back to palace, though already wet and tired. "_Luna, my dear, I am ever so sorry!_" she had cried as they soared away from the treacherous cliff. "_It was an idiotic idea to alloweth thee to attempt a feat so large! Please, my daughter, forgive me!_"

Where was that mare now? Luna looked down at her hooves, mentally sighing in despair. Whoever had helped raise the moon last night did not exist in reality. Perhaps she had simply dreamed the words her mother had spoken in her shocked state.

"It was very good," Queen Theia suddenly said. Luna looked up sharply, causing pain to shoot up her neck.

"What?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head to numb the hurt. Queen Theia looked away, but not before Luna could glimpse the alarm in her eyes.

"Whilst the moon was risen, thou dost not even falter. Thou should have completed the task fully, if thou had not opened thy eyes. Before, 'twas perfection. Thou art very powerful," the lavender-furred alicorn nickered.

Luna's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it before she appeared flabbergasted, which she completely and utterly was. Had she just heard _praise _coming from Theia's very mouth. Genuine, real praise?  
Queen Theia was not smiling. She was staring at Luna with a strange expression, combination of uncertainty and wonder. Luna hid a scowl. Was her mother so bent on the fact that she would never amount to anything that she refused to believe it when she excelled on a single thing?

Feeling rather sour, Luna pulled the sheets back up over her body and lay down, rolling over so her back was to her mother. "I am ill and tired. It would be greatly appreciated if I should be left in peace," she muttered, her voice clogged by tears that had yet to be shed.

The queen coughed awkwardly. "Yes, daughter. Rest now. I wish thee a brief recovery." She heard the queen gracefully waltz out of the room, behind her the soft pattering of Celestia and Vladimir's hooves. The door closed.

Luna let out a sob, tightly wrapping the woolen quilt around her skinny body, feeling lost and cold. She couldn't even figure out why she was so unhappy. She cried all of her discontentment away, the anger and jealousy and sadness she had been feeling these last few lonely years finally pouring out in a river of tears.

When she finally finished, her pillow was soaked, so she requested that the maid pony bring in another, and when it was brought, she slept deeply and without dreams.

* * *

Luna restlessly explored. She trotted through the corridors and hallways that she had grown up in, reliving memories of games of chase and hide-and-go-seek played with her siblings; memories of picnics had under the shade of the walnut trees in the royal gardens; memories of imaginary princes and kings that she had pretended to dance with as she envisioned herself attending the gala. Luna was older now. She was beyond such petty fantasies now, but she couldn't help noticing that she had been so much happier as a little filly, so naïve and ignorant.

Could it be that all she was meant to be was a figure, a picture of a pony who did not really exist? Princess Luna, never a queen, just the young heiress who simply attended parties and waited for the blue moon chance that either Celestia or Vladimir was unable to serve as ruler and needed a replacement. Or perhaps her parents intended to marry her off to some old king from a distant kingdom, to form some alliance or something.

"Does my life hold any value whatsoever?" Luna wondered to herself as she began up the stairs to the astronomy observatory.

"Whatever is thy reason to ask a question such as that?" a surprised voice asked. Luna jumped. She looked up to see that Vladimir was coming down the stairs towards her.

"Oh! Um... I..." Luna stammered. Then she noticed that her older brother was wearing a fur cloak and carrying a large traveling pack. "What art thou doing?"

Vladimir swallowed and looked away guiltily. "Thou deserveth to know the truth, I suppose. I am venturing forth into the wilderness to search for the Elements of Harmony," he explained in a monotone voice, as if this kind of journeying took place on a daily basis.

Luna's eyes widened. "Whyever must thee do such a thing?! It is rash! I beg thee to refrain from acting in this way. Thou could be eaten by a wild beast or attacked by bandits or-"

Vladimir shook his head, his stern golden eyes cold. "Do not try to persuade me otherwise, dear Luna. I have already made up my mind. I now am leaving with a party of royal guards whom have agreed to accompany me. I advise thee to tell the king and queen of my departure, and I bid thee farewell, my sister."

Luna stared sadly up at her older brother. He had pieces of their parents all about him, a perfect combination. Strong, fit, and devilishly handsome, he was object of the desires of all the mares in Equestria. Now, he did not look seventeen, but older than that, in his early twenties.

"What of thy inheritance? Who shall command the moon if thou shalt never return?" she asked, in one last measly attempt to try and sway him.

Vladimir chuckled. "The moon is thine. If I shalt never return, thou shalt be the perfect replacement. I do hope it shalt not come to that. I will miss thee, along with Celestia, Mother, and Father. But I am aware of what I am doing, and I intend to find the Elements, should it require the sacrifice of my life or not," he told her. Seeing the tears welling in her eyes, he frowned, and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Of thee I expect only great things. Farewell, sister, and may the gods ensure we meet again!"

A single tear slipped from Luna's eye. "Farewell, brother," she whispered, "I wish thee good fortune and good health on your adventure."

Vladimir grinned, and then stepped back. Looking intently at a barred window, his horn blazed with a red aura as the cross-hatched bars momentarily disappeared. He soared through the window, and the bars immediately returned as his image faded into the dimming light.

Luna stared at the spot on the steps that he had been standing in, willing him to reappear and confess that it was all a joke, but he didn't.

There was one good portion in Vladimir's leaving, though Luna felt terrible for appreciating it. The moon belonged to her now! Unless, of course, her brother returned. Luna refused to admit that she wished that he would stay away, though deep down in her soul she knew that she was.

* * *

Trying to concentrate, Luna smoothed her mane and sauntered into the royal eatery. She casually slid into her respective chair at the supper table and took a dainty sip of the first-course soup. It was a delicious sweet potato and white corn soup that Luna was very fond of, but there was a vile taste in the back of mouth from the herbal medicine the doctor had given her, so she was unable to freely enjoy it.

Nopony seemed to notice her. King Aelius and Queen Theia busily conversing of political matters, and Princess Celestia was eagerly listening, adding in a word here and there and politely sipping at the soup. It wasn't until the second course was served – crispy roasted eggplants in a creamy mushroom sauce – that they took note of Luna's presence and Vladimir's absence.

"Oh! Hello, daughter. Would thou happen to know of the whereabouts of thy most absent brother?" King Aelius asked, putting on his reading spectacles and squinting at her.

Luna cleared her throat. "Yes, I do indeed know where Vladimir happens to be. During today's afternoon, I met with him. He informed me that it is his intent to search for the little-known Elements of Harmony. He departed, and I assume that at this moment he is searching the wilds for these Elements to which he holds such great value. I assure you that I tried to dissuade him to all in my ability, but I failed. I am aware that you all must be very shocked, and I offer you my condolences at having to receive such grave news," is what she had planned to say.

Instead, she started to cry and all she was could manage was, "He- He has... gone...!"

Queen Theia tilted her head, skeptic. "What dost thee mean he has gone?" she asked, setting down her fork and pursing her lips expectantly.

Luna wiped her tears and tried to explain through her sobs. "H-he has left t-to-to search... for th-the Elements! I tr-tried to stop hi-him, I really di-did, but I-I could not!" She began to shake uncontrollably, and hid her face behind her hooves.

King Aelius dropped his slice of bread in confusion and shock. "My dear daughter? Whyever dost thee cry ever so much? What 'Elements' dost thee speak of?" he asked, lowering his glasses and staring at the sobbing periwinkle filly.

Celestia answered for Luna. "She speaks of the Elements of Harmony, dear Father," the older princess explained, "They were lost long ago, and if what Luna suggests is the truth, then Vladimir has gone to search for them in the hopes of gaining their power."

Queen Theia stood abruptly, the chair screeching on the stone floor of the chamber. "Thou sayeth that he has risked his very life to find the Elements?" she demanded, grabbing Luna's front legs and wrenching them away from her face. "How could he?! Was it thou who hath put those fanciful ideas in his head?!"

Luna shrank away from her accusatory gaze, cringing. "Nay, 'tis not my fault!" she cried, screwing her eyes shut.

King Aelius now stood up as well, and slammed his goblet down on the table. "Stop this madness, Theia, and release Luna! Where hath thy self-control fled to?" he sternly ordered. The room went quiet. Theia backed away from Luna.

"I apologize, Aelius. I simply fear for the young life of my son, as he surely will face a many an incident in which is life is threatened on this endless journey he has taken upon himself," Queen Theia said bitterly, her voice lowering to a whisper.

King Aelius glared at her. "Will somepony please explain to me what these Elements are and what their power may be, because I still have no idea what is going on. Theia, I believe I deserve an explanation to all of this nonsense," he grumbled.

Queen Theia's eyes glimmered with tears, and her shoulders slumped with sorrow, but she looked at her husband with a level gaze. "The Elements of Harmony represent the components that make up friendship, love, peace, and all that endeavors one to be pure and true. The Elements art a weapon, a magical power created solely for the purpose of defending against all things evil. But they art lost, and have been for many years. Our son, like many a youthful soul, hath been convinced that they have within them the potential to find them. Alas, I do not believe it is so."

King Aelius's glower didn't faulter. "If these Elements are so important, why hath thou hidden from me the knowledge of their existence for so long?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Theia gave in to his anger, and bowed her head submissively. "I was not aware that thee did not know of them."

King Aelius sighed and massaged his temples, looking exasperated. "Well, if that is so, then I will not have my son doomed to die. Sargent!" he called, gesturing to a knight who had all this time stood perfectly poised by the door.

The armor-clad pony saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" he gruffly answered.

"Have Commander Chincoteague send a search party to patrol the surrounding area for ten leagues in all directions. Turn the village upside down if you must, but at all costs, find Prince Vladimir!" he instructed.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the guard replied, and then bounded erectly away.

King Aelius then dismissed Luna and Celestia, no doubt desiring to have a very long conversation with his wife. Luna ran all the way to her chambers, and threw herself onto the bed with all her might, feeling drained. She wrapped the blankets around her body like a protective force-field. She prayed to whichever gods were listening to watch over her brother and to make sure he returned home safe as soon as possible. But as she tried to sleep her troubles off, she could not suppress one excited thought.

_The moon is mine!_

* * *

**So, I plan to put most of my effort towards this story in the coming weeks, and hopefully it'll get better than this. This chapter was hard to write because I wasn't particularly inspired, but I hope it turned out alright. (I think it's okay.)**

**I'm bored now. *yawn***

**-Jez D. W.**


End file.
